Brunswick County, NC

County

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2024 Population

152,568

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

56.4

0.535% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.23%

1.57% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$77,024

4.04% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$349,800

11.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

62,479

6.11% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Brunswick County, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.5% of the residents in Brunswick County, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Brunswick County, NC are Brunswick Community College (552 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Brunswick County, NC was $349,800, and the homeownership rate was 84.6%.

Most people in Brunswick County, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Brunswick County, NC was 2 cars per household.

Brunswick County, NC borders Columbus County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Pender County, NC, and Horry County, SC.

About the photo: A view of the Southport Yacht Basin in Southport, North Carolina in Brunswick County at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Photo by Gerry Dincher

United States North Carolina Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

Population & Diversity

Brunswick County, NC is home to a population of 153k people, from which 98.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.56% of Brunswick County, NC residents were born outside of the country (5.44k people).

In 2024, there were 9.77 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (123k people) in Brunswick County, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 12.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.36k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Brunswick County, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Brunswick County, NC was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Brunswick County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Brunswick County, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
123k ± 698
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
12.6k ± 578
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.36k ± 640

5.63%

Hispanic Population

8.58k people

5.63% of the people in Brunswick County, NC are hispanic (8.58k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Brunswick County, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
224,963 ± 11,520 people
India
83,219 ± 7,055 people
Honduras
48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

Foreign-Born Population

3.56%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.44k people

3.43%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5k people

As of 2024, 3.56% of Brunswick County, NC residents (5.44k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Brunswick County, NC was 3.43%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Brunswick County, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
5,982 ± 505
Gulf War (2001-)
2,475 ± 416
Gulf War (1990s)
1,713 ± 319

Brunswick County, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.42 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Brunswick County, NC.

Economy

The economy of Brunswick County, NC employs 62.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Brunswick County, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,813 people), Retail Trade (8,148 people), and Construction (6,113 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($80,345), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($69,899), and Finance & Insurance ($65,711).

Employment

Occupations

62.5k

2024 Value

± 2,055

6.11%

1 Year growth

± 4.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brunswick County, NC grew at a rate of 6.11%, from 58.9k employees to 62.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Brunswick County, NC, are Management Occupations (7,520 people), Sales & Related Occupations (7,282 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,419 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Brunswick County, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

62.5k

2024 Value

± 2,055

6.11%

1 Year growth

± 4.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Brunswick County, NC grew at a rate of 6.11%, from 58.9k employees to 62.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Brunswick County, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,813 people), Retail Trade (8,148 people), and Construction (6,113 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Brunswick County, NC, though some of these residents may live in Brunswick County, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,461

Median earning men ± $3,077

$42,204

Median earning women ± $1,521

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($90,833), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($90,707), and Public Administration ($66,973).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($61,385), Public Administration ($57,410), and Manufacturing ($56,813).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

Y-Axis

3.04%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

304
Construction
216
Retail Trade
208
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$208k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$192k
Retail Trade
$140k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Brunswick County, NC awarded 552 degrees. The student population of Brunswick County, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 680 male students and 1,165 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Brunswick County, NC are White (434 and 78.6%), Hispanic or Latino (46 and 8.33%), Black or African American (42 and 7.61%), and Two or More Races (22 and 3.99%).

The largest universities in Brunswick County, NC by number of degrees awarded are Brunswick Community College (552 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Brunswick County, NC are Liberal Arts & Sciences (211 and 38.2%), Information Technology (56 and 10.1%), and Registered Nursing (46 and 8.33%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,845 students enrolled in Brunswick County, NC, 36.9% men and 63.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,278 records, of which 61.7% were women and 38.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
211 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
46 degrees awarded
Accounting & Finance
12 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Brunswick County, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 211 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Brunswick County, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Brunswick Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

552 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Brunswick Community College with 552 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 242 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Brunswick County, NC, which is 0.781 times less than the 310 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 434 degrees mean that there were 9.43 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 46 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($100) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,938) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Brunswick County, NC was $349,800 in 2024, which is 1.05 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $314,700 to $349,800, a 11.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Brunswick County, NC is 84.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Brunswick County, NC have an average commute time of 25.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Brunswick County, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brunswick County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.98%.

Housing

Property

$349,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,851

$58,472

Median Property Taxes

±$1,756

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Brunswick County, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Brunswick County, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

84.6%

Homeownership

2024

66.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 84.6% of the housing units in Brunswick County, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 83.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Brunswick County, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$77,024

Median Household Income

± $2,734

69.1k

Number of Households

± 2,186

In 2024, the median household income of the 69.1k households in Brunswick County, NC grew to $77,024 from the previous year's value of $74,034.

The following chart displays the households in Brunswick County, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Brunswick County, NC is from North Carolina.

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (74.5%)
Worked At Home (14.7%)
Carpooled (7.84%)

In 2024, 74.5% of workers in Brunswick County, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.7%) and those who carpooled to work (7.84%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

25.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Brunswick County, NC have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.04% of the workforce in Brunswick County, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Brunswick County, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Brunswick County, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Brunswick County, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Brunswick County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.98%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

9.23% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Brunswick County, NC (14k out of 151k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Brunswick County, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 16.8% of the children was living in poverty in Brunswick County, NC. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 13.3%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 141 in Brunswick County, NC. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 82.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.5% of the population of Brunswick County, NC has health coverage, with 34.3% on employee plans, 11.2% on Medicaid, 25.4% on Medicare, 19.6% on non-group plans, and 1.92% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Brunswick County, NC see 2,289 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,289 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2392 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 796 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,289 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Brunswick County, NC

Primary care physicians in Brunswick County, NC see an average of 2,289 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,289 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Brunswick County, NC in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 14.8% under 18 years, 13.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 33.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.53%

Uninsured

34.3%

Employer Coverage

11.2%

Medicaid

25.4%

Medicare

19.6%

Non-Group

1.92%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Brunswick County, NC declined by 5.4% from 7.96% to 7.53%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Brunswick County, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 62.9 in Brunswick County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brunswick County, NC.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 30.9% in Brunswick County, NC.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Brunswick County, NC.